L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano " W e i n f u s e d t h i s p r o j e c t w i t h t h e e s s e n c e o f I t a l y , u n i t i n g a l l t h e s e elements: a sense of beauty, respect for ingenu- ity, the courage to innovate, and the ability to respect all cultures," said Defense Min- ister Guido Crosetto as he inaugurated the American leg of the world tour of the Amerigo Vespucci Train- ing Ship, a historic sailing vessel and training ship of the Italian Navy, which has long served as an ambas- s a d o r o f M a d e i n I t a l y around the world. Accompa- nying this tour in LA was Villaggio Italia, the multi- year Traveling World Exhi- bition of Italian excellence, which will join the Vespucci f o r s e v e n m o r e s t o p s . Throughout its journey, the Vespucci has been serving as an ambassador of Italy and Made in Italy, promoting themes like sustainability and respect for the marine environment under the flags of UNICEF, UNESCO, and the International Maritime Organization. "My first thanks go to the c a p t a i n a n d c r e w o f t h i s wonderful ship. It's not easy to navigate because it is old; it's a ship where you have to pull the ropes and set the sails. It has no automatic mechanisms, no computers, n o a r t i f i c i a l i n t e l l i g e n c e . I n s t e a d , i t r e l i e s o n t h e human intelligence of hun- dreds of sailors," Crosetto continued. "In this part of the world, there is a piece of I t a l y ' s h e a r t ; t h e I t a l i a n c o m m u n i t y , t h e I t a l i a n - American community, peo- p l e w h o s e g r a n d p a r e n t s , parents, and ancestors were born in Italy and feel close to Italy, who bear Italian names. They are a piece of t h e I t a l i a n h e a r t , a n d w e b r o u g h t a n o t h e r p i e c e o f Italy's heart for them. Their presence reminds us that life is built by sacrifices. Sacri- f i c e s t h a t b r o u g h t a s h i p here after a year of naviga- tion, and the sacrifices that made thousands of Italians leave Italy to seek fortune, a life, something different in another nation, where they were welcomed by friends and brothers." The California State Trea- surer Fiona Ma, Los Ange- les County Supervisor Jan- ice Hahn, and Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Erin Bro- maghim hosted the event. Minister Crosetto dedicated these words to them: "My s e c o n d t h a n k s g o t o t h e friendship with the United States, who sacrificed their men and women to defend t h e f r e e d o m o f I t a l y a n d Europe. After 75 years, we celebrated in Washington t h e b i r t h o f N A T O , t h e largest military alliance in the world, created to defend peace and democracy. This i s w h y w e w e r e t h e r e , t o r e m e m b e r t h i s a n c i e n t pact." Also present at the cere- mony was Luca Andreoli, CEO of Defense Services. "Through the Vespucci, we wanted to showcase Italy at its most beautiful—a country o f d o i n g , o f a r t i s a n s , o f s q u a r e s w h e r e i d e a s a r e born and become reality. Villaggio Italia aims to be all this and is the result of behind-the-scenes work by men and women from differ- ent backgrounds with the common goal of best repre- senting our country with the intelligence, sensitivity, and creativity that have always d i s t i n g u i s h e d u s i n t h e world. It was a challenge that I am sure we succeeded in achieving with everyone's contribution, and it marked an important start." Until July 8, visitors were a b l e t o b o a r d t h e " m o s t beautiful ship in the world," a custodian of the oldest sea- faring traditions and a sym- b o l o f t h e I t a l i a n N a v y . Inside Villaggio Italia, visi- tors could also explore Piaz- za Italia, which offered a rich schedule of daily events featuring the best of Made in Italy: from the Frecce Tri- colori, which flew over the skies of Los Angeles on July 4, 6, and 8 as part of the North America Tour (NAT), to the music of the Cara- b i n i e r i C a d e t s B a n d , which performed inside and outside the Village. Musi- cians from the Accademia T e a t r o a l l a S c a l a o f Milan, internationally suc- cessful Italian films curated b y t h e V e n i c e B i e n n a l e International Film Festival, and contemporary Italian art with Jago, who created the bronze sculpture "The D a v i d " f o r t h e V e s p u c c i world tour, were all part of the entertainment at Villag- gio Italia. Made in Italy was also at the heart of the project with a series of events, including the presence at the inaugur- al ceremony of ICE Presi- d e n t M a t t e o Z o p p a s , a d e s i g n e x h i b i t i o n , I t a l i a Geniale, and discussions on infrastructure and technolo- gy from the MOSE of Venice to the Bridge over the Strait of Messina. "In choosing the contents of Villaggio Italia, we realized that we would need a 36-hour film just to include all our art, music, opera, history, and fashion. We could have included the American navy ships made at Marinette Marine, Wis- consin, by Fincantieri, the s a m e c o m p a n y t h a t p r o - duced the Amerigo Vespuc- ci. We could have included much more," explained Min- ister Crosetto. Among the events sched- uled in the conference hall of the Village on July 8 were two sessions with interna- t i o n a l e x p e r t s : t h e f i r s t delved into the blue econo- my with the participation of the Chief of Staff of the Ital- ian Navy, Admiral Enrico Credendino, and the second focused on the space econo- my, featuring interventions from astronauts Walter Vil- ladei and Roberto Vittori. On this occasion, Deputy Minister of Enterprises and M a d e i n I t a l y V a l e n t i n o V a l e n t i n i a n d D e f e n s e U n d e r s e c r e t a r y M a t t e o Perego di Cremnago were also present. The Vespucci left the port of Los Angeles for Honolulu o n J u l y 8 , t h e d a y o f t h e closing ceremony of Villag- g i o I t a l i a , a t t e n d e d b y Deputy Minister Valentini. After Los Angeles, the multi- year Traveling World Exhi- b i t i o n t h r o u g h V i l l a g g i o Italia will be visitable along- side the Vespucci in Tokyo in August, Darwin in Aus- t r a l i a a n d S i n g a p o r e i n October, Mumbai between November and December, a n d i n D e c e m b e r i n A b u Dhabi, UAE, and Doha in Qatar. The tour will end in January with a stop in Jed- dah, Saudi Arabia. In LA, Vespucci and Villaggio Italia celebrated Made in Italy SILVIA NITTOLI The Amerigo Vespucci and Villaggio Italia (Photo: Tour Vespucci/Massimo Sestini) The entrance of Villaggio Italia (Photo: Tour Vespucci/Massimo Sestini) LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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